


Moments of (Quantum) Reality

by ssironstrange



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), antstrange
Genre: Acephobia, Almost oral sex, Anal Fingering, Asexuality Spectrum, Boyfriends, Boys Kissing, Drunken Kissing, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, French Kissing, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Mild Angst, Past Relationship(s), Self-Indulgent, Sex Positive, Stephen Strange Needs a Hug, ace!stephen, but i mean its very much his character, i feel bad about that, i'm sorry i had to make tony the unintentional sort of bad guy, scott lang is a literal angel, very unintentional acephobia, well more like demi!stephen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-07-17 09:12:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16092560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssironstrange/pseuds/ssironstrange
Summary: A look into the relationship between Stephen and Scott, the challenges they face and struggles they share, but most importantly the endless support and love for one another.





	1. Time in Bloom (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> this is completely self-indulgent and as such not everyone is going to be 100% true to their canon characterization, though i do stay close. stephen is a sex positive asexual/demisexual/somewhere between and i had this nitpicked to pieces for accuracy but it will also be featuring some of my own personal shit mixed in so. yay i guess.

_time together: 6 months, 18 days_

 

       “I had to hand it to Nat, she pulled it off flawlessly. Pepper’s jealousy was through the roof, and it was absolutely adorable. Not entirely unfounded though. I mean, have either of you _seen_ Natasha in a low cut and tight dress?” Tony leaned forward over the table and waggled those overly expressive eyebrows of his. Stephen just sighed and turned his attention out towards the rest of the people milling about around them, hardly even caring if he caught the attention of someone. He would have preferred flinging himself into a crowd of paparazzi over dealing with where Tony was steering this conversation.  
       “I swear I was walking around half hard just about any time she was around.” Stark grinned over the rim of his glass before taking a drink of the amber liquid inside. “Pretty sure she was playing along, too. I never did get the chance to ask. She knew just how to press my buttons though, basically always had her cleavage shoved in my face.”  
       “That is just embarrassing, and in all honesty, a little disgusting, Tony.” Stephen stared at him from across the table, unamused.  
       “What?! She’s fucking _gorgeous!_ ”  
       “I fail to understand why you—and most men for that matter—can’t control your rampant sexuality. You do know how poorly it reflects on the rest of us, right?”  
       “Well, sorry but _not_ sorry. It just happens sometimes—even to you I’m sure. You like to pretend you’re above it all but you still have a pulse and nature’s gift of way too much testosterone for our advanced evolution, so… fuckin’ bite me.” Shrugging one shoulder, he finished off what was left in his glass.  
       Scott, situated between the two of them, sank down into his seat a few inches as the tension started to rise and kept his mouth busy with his bottle of cheap beer that tasted more like watered down piss than hops and spices.  
       “No, not really. I don’t pretend. I’ve told you this before.” Stephen stared down at the empty glass in his trembling hands.  
       “Come _on_ ,” Tony jabbed with sarcasm. “Scott? You gonna tell me a guy like you isn’t getting some every night?”  
       Scott opened his mouth, fully prepared to diffuse the conversation with some humor, but before a word could leave his mouth, Stephen spoke up with more than just an inkling of his patience worn thin present in his voice.  
       “Actually,” Stephen started, the softness of those incredibly pale green eyes replaced by something a little harder and colder. “I will have you know I have not had sex in three months.”  
       Scott choked mid-swallow and lurched forward with a few coughs. Tony had been rendered speechless for a few passing seconds, simply staring in disbelief at Stephen, who crossed his arms and leaned into the cushioned back of the semi-circle booth the three of them were nestled in.  
       “There’s… no way it can be healthy to go that long without it.” Stark regained some composure and spared a glance to Scott trying desperately to hide behind another drink, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.  
       “And there’s no way you should still be alive for how often the thought of it occupies your thoughts, yet here we are.”  
       Tony cocked his lips in half a grin, shrugged, and leaned back to rest his elbows against the top of the booth. Scott couldn’t help but smirk a little at just how unapologetic he seemed about it.  
       “And _you_ are no better, Scott,” Stephen turned his gaze onto the man to his left. Scott was relieved to find it softened in his direction, at least a little. “You’ve basically been walking around half hard since I saved your ass from Dagoth.”  
       “It… it was really hot, okay?” There was meekness in his admission and he let his eyes drop down to the bottle he was fidgeting with. Tony snickered quietly.  
       “Mmmhm,” Stephen’s lips pulled downward into a bit of a frown, but his arms uncrossed and he slid a hand beneath the table to give a light squeeze to Scott’s knee. “Well, as _thoroughly pleasant_ as this has been, I have some reading to catch up with.” He scooted out of the booth and grabbed the cloak that had been floating just beside them and let it fall to his shoulders.  
       “I thought wizards were supposed to be _fun_.” Tony sighed dramatically.  
       “Thanks for the drinks, Tony. I’ll see you later tonight, Scott.”

       Stephen turned as Scott said his goodbye, knowing he would fall for his sad puppy-dog eyes in an instant. It was bad enough they were so vibrantly green and an absolute joy to lose himself in; when he pulled stunts like that Stephen was almost powerless against him.  
       “Three months, man?” Stephen heard Tony remark to Scott. “I feel bad for you. Hah, I think the longest Pepper and I…” Stephen clenched his jaw while he continued out the door, though the anger fizzled out as quickly as it has started to rise. Tony had never been hateful, and in fact the man had been supportive and kind all around when Stephen had finally told him of his preferences, but… there was still a lingering apprehension. It latched its teeth onto his thoughts and would sit there and gnaw until he was with Scott again later. Stephen walked through the yellow-orange embers into the Sanctum with the bitter taste of disheartening _inferiority_ fresh on his mind.  
       Scott watched him leave with brows furrowed softly in concern. Something was off about his brisk leave. There was always a bit of tension between Stephen and Tony when they got together like this; two strong and highly sarcastic personalities, a weirdly fantastic chemistry, but vastly differing opinions on almost everything. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone why they drove one another crazy yet remained good friends. But something was different this time.  
       “What?” Scott zoned back in from his thoughts, barely catching Tony’s words. “Oh, nah it really isn’t a big deal. It’s different… but I like different. And honestly? Without the sex you find all sorts of other ways to be intimate. You start appreciating the little things like, so much more.”  
       Tony gave him a firm clap on the shoulder and one of his beaming smiles, so infectious that Scott found himself grinning like an idiot. Or maybe that was just from thinking about Stephen.  
       “Whatever works for you guys.” Stark gave him another pat, then flagged down their waiter.

* * *

       Scott stepped out of the ensuite bathroom ruffling his hair with a towel, humming a tune he’d come up with in the shower, and jumped about a foot backwards when he pulled the towel away and there was Stephen sitting on the bed, reading in silence.  
       “Damn, Stephen, could have let me know you were here. Can’t be scaring a naked man like that!”  
       Stephen repressed a grin, glancing up over the book at said naked man as he came to sit beside him, radiating warmth from the shower.  
       “Mm, sorry for the scare.” Stephen turned his head to press a kiss against his shoulder, and in turn Scott placed one against his head. Very casually, he dog-eared the page he was on and set the book aside.  
       “And I take it you took a shower too?” Stephen felt a nose press to his head, heard a couple of sniffs. “Bummer, I would have liked it if you joined mine.” Scott dropped his head down and planted a kiss against Stephen’s cheek. It had him smiling, until Scott grabbed the book.  
       “What sort of medical mumbo jumbo are you reading now?” A few pages were flipped through and passed over.  
       “Nothing of interest, I was just feeling a little nostalgic and…” He had started to reach for it and take it back without it seeming too suspicious, but he was a beat too slow and Scott opened up the pages with folded corners. Amusement quickly faded into concern as he looked over the section titles “Male Sexual Desire” and “Male Sexual Dysfunctions.”  
       “Stephen,”  
       “It’s just some study material from med school.” The book was all but snatched out of his grasp, shut, and dropped over the edge of the bed onto the floor. It made him cringe inwardly to treat one of his books that way, even if it was just some old medical journal that was easily replaced. Better than Scott reading into it even more.  
       “Is this about what Tony said?”  
       Stephen realized he wasn’t going to get that lucky as Scott already latched on to what it was about. A few beats of heavy silence fell between them and Stephen just stared down at his scarred and shaking hands closed into nervous fists.  
       “I wanted to triple check that I had not missed anything in my studies during school or residency.” He admitted with quiet hesitance and the coaxing of Scott’s hand reaching over to work one of his out of a fist to hold.  
       “You know Tony is a good guy, but he’s an idiot about some things. A lot of things, actually.”  
       Stephen looked down at their hands, recalling the text of the pages. It was a futile attempt to find a definitive answer, but he had to make sure. And then make sure of that. Again and again.  
       “He implied you should leave me because our sex life has become… unconventional.” Eyes narrowed somewhat. _Abnormal_ was what he meant to say, as that was what everyone else would have quickly labeled it as. “There was a lot of sex shortly after we became an item, because I was happy— _am_ still happy, don’t look at me like that—and I enjoy making you happy, and… that’s what normal couples do. I was afraid it would end in disaster like it always does if you knew right away.”  
       Scott shifted closer and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.  
       “I’d never, not over something like that.”  
       “I know,” Stephen attempted a half-hearted smile. “I know that now. That’s why I did tell you, eventually. But now the sex is more manageable for me and I feel comfortable, and he calls it unhealthy? I know you aren’t unhappy, and neither am I, so why should it matter so much?  
       Scott wrapped his arms around Stephen’s shoulders, enveloping him in his warmth and the fresh scent of his soaps. It was nearly instinctive for Stephen to curl an arm around his bare waist and hold him closer.  
       “He didn’t mean it that way. It was a poorly timed joke—you know how he is about those. He is about the last person who would want me to leave you.” Scott raised a hand up to rest against a sharp cheek. “I’ve heard how you were before we got together. He doesn’t want that for you.” As he leaned in to kiss, Scott felt Stephen’s lips quirk into a grin just before he kissed back.  
       “Let me guess… he told you I was a cold, selfish asshole.”  
       “No,” Scott kissed again, then pulled back to look at him. “Lonely, Stephen. Dangerously lonely.”  
       It was true, but until then Stephen hadn’t realized anyone else actually noticed that. Let alone Tony of all people. After all they had been through, after everything he had said and done, after the painful realization of what would never be. Somehow, Stark managed to see through it all as if his layers of masks were utterly transparent. It shouldn’t have been a surprise—there were few people on this Earth who could read people the way Tony could—yet there Stephen sat. Surprised. And grateful to have a friend so genuinely concerned—even if he wrapped it in sarcasm and sass.  
       With a quiet, resigned sigh and a small smile, Stephen tilted his head up to steal Scott’s lips again.


	2. Time in Bloom (Part 2)

        Easily, Stephen tugged Scott into his lap to straddle it while opening the kiss for something deeper, inviting his tongue to writhe against his own. Shaking fingers skirted along ribs and Scott rumbled quiet laughter between their lips. Down his sides and to his hips to squeeze defined muscle, then his hands drifted around to palm even more defined cheeks, all while keeping his mouth sealed over Scott’s just to make his soft moaning that much more difficult, as well as to feel how it vibrated and tickled against his own lips.   
Scott pulled at Stephen’s shirt and he leaned back, parting their kiss to permit its removal. Immediately there were hands on his chest; feeling and grabbing and scratching and Stephen would be a liar to say he didn’t enjoy every single one of Scott’s touches. There was no hiding that anyway, his body responded accordingly as it almost always did—especially as Scott began grinding himself against the rise of his boxers.  
        “You okay?” Scott asked breathlessly after pulling away from his lips to groan. Stephen nodded with a hard swallow and couldn’t quite stop a small smile because _fuck_ he loved this man. Even as he surrendered to lust, Scott managed to stay aware and concerned. It was as baffling as it was endearing, but Stephen wouldn’t have it any other way. He caught a glimpse of a smile on Scott’s lips before they were pressing to his own once more. Happily, Stephen could have stayed like that all night—or at least until his mind decided to flip a switch and bring him out of the mood entirely with jarring abruptness.  
        “What do normal people do? How do they—” Stephen started to ask as Scott broke away to breathe.  
        “ _Ugh_ , don’t get started on normal people again.” Scott kissed against the corner of his mouth and along his jaw. “I hate everything about normal.” Hips continued to push and rub his cock against the fabric of Stephen’s boxers, which Stephen encouraged with a firmer grip on his ass, even pushing him harder into the grinding. “Normal is boring. Normal sex is even more boring.”   
        “Hmm… the day _any_ aspect of my life becomes boring will be a dark day indeed.”  
        With a firm hold on him, Stephen flung Scott over onto his back, knocking a quiet “ _oof_ ” out of him as he bounced against the mattress, then scrambled up to sit on his thighs with a mischievous grin and even more wicked twinkle in playfully narrowed eyes. Scott chuckled, lower lip taken between teeth to try and fail at hiding his own grin and watched as Stephen’s eyes followed his hands down his stomach. One veered off to grasp at a pale thigh, the other continued down to wrap around his cock. A few languid strokes were given mostly for show, then began a more rapid motion.  
        “This really does it for you? Even though I’m not doing anything?” Stephen placed his hand over the one on his thigh, his other holding Scott’s hip, out of the way of his arm.  
        “How many times are you going to ask me that?” Scott met his gaze, his grin growing a little strained with pleasure.  
        “I just… wonder what it is I did to deserve you.” Head canted to the side slightly, gaze averting to the motions of his hand for a moment. “People put so much stress on performance, tops and bottoms… and then here you are,” He squeezed Scott’s hip, thumb rubbing against the furrow of a wonderfully defined inguinal ligament. Scott squeezed his thigh in response. “All I have to do is be in the same room and you…”  
        Below him, Scott huffed and attempted to raise his hips against the pumping of his hand, but Stephen kept them planted against the bed. He was already a beautiful man, but Stephen found him impossibly more beautiful and cute when he was flustered with desire.  
        “I-I like…” His thumb brushed over the head a few times, slick with the precum dribbling down against his fingers. A quiet whimper was swallowed down, eyes shut and his head fell to the side in a useless attempt to conceal the blush he felt spreading against his cheeks. “I like you looking at me… watching me.” Fingers dug into Stephen’s thigh with bruising strength and his head tilted back, mouth agape for ragged breaths. “When you look at me, it… F-fuck…”  
        Stephen couldn’t help but smirk as words failed him. There was a whisper of shifting sheets and a dip in the mattress as Stephen shifted his weight over to one leg, lifted his knee from the other side and pushed Scott’s thighs apart to bring it back down between them, then the other knee.  
        “What else do you like me doing?” Stephen asked, already deep voice dropping an octave into something dark and sultry and Scott groaned and cracked an eye open to watch black hair streaked in silver bow down. Then there were lips on his thigh, kissing and dragging against the sensitive insides, sending jolting waves of pleasure straight to his prick.  
        “I like it w-when you kiss me like that… when you touch me…”  
        His kisses continued as far up as he was able without obstructing Scott’s hand, and where his lips couldn’t reach his hands did, gliding up to the junction of thigh and groin. Then he moved his head over to the other leg to do the same. Scott’s breathing was erratic, the soft whines and dragged out moans all clear warnings of his impending orgasm. For a brief moment he considered hoisting one of his legs up and burying his face into his ass, knowing just how wild that made him. It wasn’t worth the risk of dropping out of the mood he had going, though.  
        “Slow down for a second,” Stephen took a hold of Scott’s wrist to still his hand from the tugging and stroking. Beneath his fingers, Stephen pressed a light kiss against the shaft that had Scott sucking in a breath through clenched teeth, then another against the back of his hand curled around his cock. Sitting up onto his knees, Stephen released his hand and grinned sheepishly. “Get me the lube would you, my dear?”  
        Scott released himself and rolled his upper half over to reach for the nightstand drawer which was yanked open. Stephen couldn’t help a soft chuckle for how fast he moved. Once the bottle was handed over, he flipped up the top and poured a bit onto his fingers. The shaking caused it to drip down against his prick, causing it to jump and Scott to gasp from the chill. His hand lowered and digits swiped against tightly puckered muscle, hooded gaze resting on Scott’s flushed face.  
        “Now then, you were telling me all the things I do that you like?” Stephen asked casually, reapplying another glob of the lube to his fingers and returning them to their work.  
        Scott was trying—Stephen gave him credit for that—but words had all but left him entirely as quivering fingers rubbed along the rim, slowly working their way inside. His response instead came in the form of utterly lewd and erotic noises between the broken attempts of actual speech. Stephen adored him like this, to see him at his most open and vulnerable, to be able to let go of whatever stress he might have been carrying, to simply come undone from his touch. It was a sort of intimacy he had been unfamiliar with prior to their dating, perhaps even the reason why he found himself so much more comfortable actually engaging in sexual activities—better yet actually _wanting_ to on more than the rare occasion.   
        “I like— _nnngghh_ —hearing you,” Scott managed to croak out after finally catching his breath.  
        “Go on…” Tension had melted away beneath his fingers, making it nice and easy to slide two inside. Even still, he pushed in gradually.  
        “God, Stephen!” Scott half gasped, half hissed, and pushed himself against the fingers until they couldn’t go any further. “I like your long ass fingers filling me up.”  
        An obvious answer, but Stephen caught himself smiling regardless. Even scarred and ugly as all hell, useless more times than not, weak and shaky even now, Scott found a way to appreciate his hands. Once again, Stephen found himself wondering how he got so lucky, or what it was he could have possibly done to deserve a man like him.  
        “That so?” Said fingers curled upwards, pressing and rubbing inside even as he began to pull out and push back in lazily. There was no search needed; Stephen knew the anatomy so well that he could have pinpointed exact nerve endings if he wanted. Purposely he was applying pressure just about everywhere _but_ the prostate. While it might not have been the same sort of attractive, Stephen quite enjoyed it when Scott writhed beneath him—and oh, how he writhed.  
        Legs were drawn up and heels dug down into the mattress to give him more leverage that he could use to roll his hips against the increasing thrusts of his hand, then a strong arm thrown over his shoulder as he pushed himself up partially. Scott’s nails drew long red lines against the back of his shoulder where he clawed for purchase, the mild pain of it shooting straight down to his cock and the intense heat that lingered, ebbing then bursting back to life at the slightest stimulation. Yet, even as the physical need intensified, Stephen kept his focus completely on Scott and bringing him to orgasm. With one hand behind him and the other hooked over Stephen’s shoulder, Scott held himself close to him and pressed kisses laced with whimpers against a slender, pale neck. It made it a little more difficult to move his hand, but worth it for the closeness. His prostate about as swollen as it possibly could be, Stephen began gliding over it every other pass, increasing pressure each time. With his other arm unoccupied, he wrapped it around Scott’s back to bear some of his weight, help hold him close enough that Stephen could nuzzle into his hair and whisper sweet nothings.  
        Trusting Stephen had a good enough hold, Scott moved the hand that had been supporting him from behind to grab onto his prick. It pumped furiously but only for roughly half a minute before he was dropping his head back and digging his nails _hard_ into Stephen’s shoulder.  
        Scott came with Stephen’s name on his lips.  
        Stephen leaned down to lay him onto the bed tenderly, aching fingers pulling free, and kisses scattered across his face that was hot with an impossibly bright blush. The towel he’d had, discarded onto the other side of the bed, was grabbed and first used to wipe his fingers clean then dipped down to delicately wipe away the excess lube. Folding the used half in on itself, Stephen lifted Scott’s hand to wipe it on the clean half one finger at a time. A kiss was given to his knuckles before lowering his hand down again. The remaining mess against his stomach and flagging cock was taken care of with a couple swipes.  
        “Stay right there, love. I just need to wash up.” Stephen purred to an all but glowing Scott who nodded with a relaxed smile spread onto his lips.

        Stephen dropped the towel into his hamper, stepped out of his dampened boxers and tossed them in as well with a soft, annoyed sigh. At least the erection was dying down, thankfully. Hands were washed, dried, and sanitized then he returned to the bedroom with the bottle of sanitizer, dropping it on the bed beside his boyfriend on the way to Scott’s dresser. A pair of briefs were pulled out, which he had to grumble at quietly because  _ of course _ Scott somehow managed to find Avengers briefs for adults. It took some digging to finally find a pair that were simply dark gray trimmed in black.  
         “I like it when you wear my clothes, too.” Scott commented with a bit of a smirk, rubbing the sanitizer into his hands.  
         “I’d wear your stuff more often, but you dress like a ten year old boy.” Stephen tossed the Avengers underwear at him, then stepped into the plain pair, snapping the band around his hips.  
         Scott laughed quietly and easily, like a gentle breeze brushing against a wind chime while he shimmied himself into the underwear. “So, do they teach you amazing fingering techniques in the cult of asexuality?”  
         “More demisexual, actually.” Stephen couldn’t keep himself from lighthearted laughter while he crawled onto the bed again. “And that comes from quite the thorough knowledge of anatomy and the ability to read body language rather well.” He tugged the covers down, Scott rolling and wiggling to get them out from beneath his body. Beneath them, Stephen snuggled in close and tangled his legs with Scott’s.  
         “I take it you liked that?”  
         “Mmhm! I’ve never had it done that well.”  
         “Doctor’s touch,” a ghost of a grin took Stephen’s lips. “Definitely only something I can do when my hands aren’t giving me hell.”  
         Quietness filled the air between them, comfortable and warm. Scott wrapped both hands around Stephen’s, noticing his fingers were still just a bit red and knew they would probably swell from the irritation of being worked as much as they had been.  
         “If it hurts you, don’t worry about it.” Scott tugged his hand forward to kiss the back of it.  
         “It’s fine, might be a little stiff tomorrow but nothing terrible. Worth it to see you happy.” Stephen pulled then hands back, taking his turn to kiss Scott’s fingers.  
         “Stephen…” Scott started, his change in tone to something more akin to concern drawing ghostly greenish blues to meet vivid viridian. “I would have been happy. When we first got together. I would have been happy without sex then.” He watched as sharp cheeks started pinkening. “But… after you showed me this side of you, I admit that I…” he let his eyes fall to their hands. “I'm ashamed to admit it, but I almost can’t stand the idea of never having known this part of you. This part that’s… only for me. Mine.”  
         Stephen stared at him, face hot and at an utter loss of what to say or even feel for that matter. No one had ever,  _ ever _ said something like  _ that. _ Scott continued through his shocked silence.  
         “I swear though, Stephen, I  _ swear _ if one day you just… switched off and never wanted it ever again, I’ll still love you. You’re in my heartbeat, in my blood, my bones. I love you, Stephen.” Scott managed to meet his eyes again, a shy blush creeping onto his cheeks. Stephen could feel the redness of his own face bleeding down his neck and climbing to the tips of his ears. Silence persisted while the only thing readable on his face was pure astonishment. As the words began to sink into his mind, the surprise faded gradually into a love so true and pure that his chest  _ ached _ from it. A void deep within his soul as treacherous as a black hole became whole the way stars burst into life and shine new light for all the cosmos to see.  
         They had found ways of saying it without actually  _ saying it _ , from Stephen’s terms of endearment to Scott’s ever-present concern for his comfort. But now, spoken aloud, Stephen was filled with a joy so extreme it surpassed any possible explanation.  
         Tears welled at some point, blurring Scott’s face until they were blinked away. The smile that took him unaware so wide it hurt his cheeks. He couldn’t even remember when he last smiled like that. Stephen pushed himself forward and stuffed his head beneath a scruffy chin and snaked those long arms around Scott; one around his shoulders, the other slipping beneath his pillow so he could caress the back of his head.  
         “I love you, too.” Came his muffled response, voice choked from the tears he held at bay.  
         Scott hummed quietly, his own smile hidden in the gentle, dark waves of Stephen’s hair.  
         With a little wave of his hand glowing a soft blue, Stephen shut off the light switch and didn’t move for the rest of the night.


	3. Between Two Lips

_Time together: 3 weeks, 3 days_

 

       Stephen and Scott stood facing each other, barely two feet apart. While a look of curiosity mixed with boredom rested on the sorcerer’s face, a single thin brow slightly cocked upwards, Scott was one giant blush.  
       “Well?” Stephen’s voice pitched upwards, the tone somewhat teasing.  
       “I’m not exactly the most qualified! It’s not like I’ve done it a ton.”  
       “I’ve done it _none_ , so that is plenty of qualification to me.”  
       Scott rubbed his hands over his flushed face, then down the sides of his neck to rub nervously, eyes glued to their feet. Hell, they hadn’t even taken their shoes off yet. Stephen had all but ambushed him with the subject once they had walked through the door. At first he assumed it was some odd humor Stephen was attempting, but quickly realized that he was, in fact, being quite honest.  
  
       Stephen Strange had never kissed with tongue in all forty-one years of his life.  
       And he wanted Scott to be his first.  
  
       All thanks to Stark getting exceptionally drunk at the wedding reception and making out with an equally drunk Pepper and just about everyone cheering them on. Almost everyone had been drunk, actually, including Scott. Stephen had been amongst the few who were sober, and even a bit somber. It wasn’t any huge secret that Stephen Strange had developed some feelings for Tony after everything they had been through together and the teamwork that followed to clean up messes, help rebuild, and even bring the sorcerer in on the accords. It was Tony who brought them together after Stephen felt the need to be honest and confess his feelings, despite knowing nothing would come of it.  A pleasant surprise to the both of them that they actually managed to hit it off. However, knowing that such feelings didn’t just go away, Scott took pity on his new boyfriend and suggested they duck out early.  
       “How does it feel to kiss like that?” Stephen had asked as they walked through the portal and up the steps of Scott’s house. “With tongue, I mean.”  
       After a few questions of disbelief and walking inside, Stephen proclaimed in his usual matter-of-fact manner:  
       “Show me.”  
  
       Now here they were, standing in the entry of Scott’s home; Stephen in his usual robes, Scott dressed in a handsome light gray suit. Perhaps from the alcohol or from the intense blush, Scott found himself a little light-headed and wobbled backwards. Stephen reached out and took hold of his arm, keeping him grounded and balanced and he found himself grinning a bit. It was Stephen, not Scott, who had the disability and the nightmares and PTSD so outrageous it deserved its own category. And yet, Stephen was the one always looking after him.  
       “Yeah, alright, okay. I mean it was gonna happen anyway, right?” Scott giggled quietly, causing a subtle grin to tug at the corner of Stephen’s lips.   
  
       The small gap between them was closed as Scott stepped forward and placed his hands against Stephen’s chest, then grabbed the lapels of his robes to tug him down to his level. Stephen could smell the champagne on his breath; sweet but with the tartness of the alcohol content apparent. Lips pressed together, soft and almost timid first. Most of their kisses had been fairly chaste until now, something Stephen had appreciated about Scott. The man never pushed and seemed happy to go at whatever pace Stephen set. The hands at his chest glided up to caress the length of his elegant neck and cupped either side of Stephen’s jaw to pull him in a bit harder. Shaking hands found themselves resting on Scott’s waist, enjoying the feeling of the soft silk blazer yet wishing it were bare flesh instead. Scott’s lips parted and his tongue slid along the seam of Stephen’s until he hesitantly followed suit and opened against his mouth. That tongue moved into his mouth, slithering against his own until he could _taste_ the champagne. After a moment, he let his slide past and over into Scott’s mouth and began a dance of which tongue would overtake the other. It really wasn’t even a competition so much as just enjoying the new sensations. And then Scott’s retreated, and he pulled back to take in a breath, wet lips pulled into a small grin.  
       “So, what’d you think?” His hands dropped away from Stephen’s face, holding onto his arms instead.  
       Stephen sucked in his lower lip, tongue swiping off the remnants of Scott’s taste as he came to stand straight again.  
       “Hmm…” Long, trembling fingers drummed against Scott’s waist. “Kind of disgusting.”  
       Scott’s grin fell right off his face, while one grew mischievously wide onto Stephen’s.  
       “Do it again.”  
       Stephen was shoved backwards by his shoulder, his chuckle smooth and bubbly like the very champagne Scott was still drunk on. However, Scott laughed, too, despite the playful glare he held Stephen in, then pulled him in close once more to slot their lips together.


	4. Shattered Cycles

time together: 2 months, 21 days 

 

     “Want to have sex?”

     No matter how many times he has told them, repeating himself like an old, tired, broken record, it never mattered. They don’t listen. Stephen released a sigh that his lungs seemed to have a specific reserve for just for these instances and tossed back the blankets.

     “No. I didn’t the last time you asked, nor the ten times before that. _I_ have not changed, so I’m not exactly sure what you expect the answer to be.” His words carried a bitterness, old and worn down.

     Bare feet hit the hardwood floor and the Cloak swept around his shoulders securely as though trying to hide him away from the offending man left behind in the bed. Though the pajamas were enough to keep him warm and modest, Stephen appreciated it all the same.

     “Don’t gotta have such an attitude about it, Strange.”

     Stephen paused just before the doorway of his bedroom. His lips spread in a false smile that belonged more on the maw of a fox that owed a long life to cleverness and intelligence than it did on any human mouth. He turned to cast that smile upon his partner while leaning a shoulder against the doorframe.

     “You are perfectly right, William. I don’t have to have an attitude about it.” Behind him, the Cloak plucked the battered sling ring from the hallway table just around the doorway and planted it into Stephen’s waiting hand. “But I am _choosing_ to have one, since you can’t seem to stop thinking with your dick for five seconds and get it through that incredibly thick skull of yours that I neither want nor need sex. Bye now.”

     The portal opened beneath the man in his bed before he could even open his mouth to argue and he fell through (while screaming, much to Stephen’s amusement) to land in his own bed, in his own house. Unfortunately he dragged the blankets with him, but such was a small price to pay to rid himself of ignorance and stupidity, if one asked Stephen.

 

* * *

 

     He had been through too many Williams, Johns, Christophers, Jasons, and even a few Jennifers and Sarahs. For twenty or so years, none of them learned and he had grown so utterly exhausted from trying to explain it to those who weren’t actually listening.

     So it was almost instinct to have that lungful of air ready to exhale the moment he heard Scott shift beside him and start a question with “Want to…” but instead of exasperation, the sigh came out as relief.

     “Want to keep reading? ‘Cause I think I’m going to masturbate, figured I’d give you fair warning if you wanted to le--” Scott’s words were swallowed up in a kiss.

     “It’s fine.” Stephen said once he drew back and regarded Scott Lang with a smile that his heart bled into. “Thank you for asking.” _The right way_ , he wanted to add, but didn’t particularly feel like unpacking that baggage at the moment.

     Not often did Stephen respond quite like that, and it had Scott’s cheeks flushing. That, of course, had Stephen smiling even more, which in turn turned Scott an even darker shade of red. Finally he managed to look away and kicked the blankets down and off. Next were the boxers, tugged down just a few inches on his thighs to let free the half-hard cock. Stephen took a long moment to admire the physique laid out beside him, eyes slowly drinking in the slight furrow of his brows in concentration, the dip between clavicles, the increasing rise and fall of a strong chest, and the well defined abdomen flexing slightly as his fingers wrapped and stroked the swelling shaft. He still had some bruising along his right side from their last battle and some that were fading along the outside of his thighs from the fight before that; Scott had learned the hard way just how very _not_ fun tentacles could be when they were attempting to squeeze you to death. Even bruised and battered, Scott was a beautiful man.

     Stephen slipped the crimson ribbon between the pages he was on and shut his book. It was set aside on the nightstand and, with hands now free, he reached over to brush shaking fingertips against the older bruises of his thighs. Scott sucked in a breath, eyes opening and darting between the hand wandering against his thigh and the bright, not-quite-blue-not-quite-green eyes focused on his face.

     “Don’t stop on my account,” Stephen commented with lips cocked in a half smile and gave the hand wrapped around his cock a gentle tap.

     The motion resumed and Stephen settled to lie against him, head nestled against his shoulder where he could kiss and nibble against it and his neck. His hand traveled slowly up his thigh and along his side before sliding across his chest to weakly squeeze muscular pectorals and flick pebbled nipples. Stephen found himself both amused and honored to watch Scott come undone in record time simply because of a bit of touching.

     “You,” Stephen leaned over to peck him on the lips between his pants. “Are entirely too easy.”

     Scott laughed, breathy and cheerful, as Stephen rolled to the side and off the bed to vanish to en-suite bathroom.

     “Can’t help it if I’m super into you!” Scott yelled out over the running water heard from the bathroom, and Stephen smiled as he shut off the faucet and wrung out the towel.

 

     Stephen hoped there would be no more Scotts. This was the only one he wanted.


End file.
